The Battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1st to July 3rd, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

It was the largest and bloodiest battle of the American Civil War.

The battle was part of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the North.

Lee hoped a major victory on Northern soil would demoralize the Union and lead to a negotiated peace.

The battle involved over 160,000 soldiers from the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

A key moment was the Union defense of Little Round Top on the second day of the battle.

The climax of the battle was 'Pickett's Charge,' a massive but disastrous Confederate infantry assault on the Union center on the third day.

The battle was a decisive victory for the Union and a major turning point in the war.

The Confederate defeat, combined with the fall of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, put the South on the defensive for the rest of the war.

Later that year, President Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the soldiers' cemetery.